𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 | 𝐬. 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞

01

CHAPTER: 01

MYSTIC FALLS — AUGUST 12th, 1863

KENNEDY FORBES STOOD outside of the Salvatore's house talking to a small group of girls who were visiting throughout the day. The conversation was brief, all of them speaking about their lives back at home. The blonde excused herself from the group and turned around only to be met with Stefan who was standing on the stairs with his hands behind his back. Her blue eyes met his and she did a small bow pinching two sides of her olive green gown.

"You do know it's impolite to stare, Stefan." She announced walking up the steps to the house meeting up with the youngest Salvatore, who was her bestfriend.

Stefan blushed but quickly let out a nervous chuckle. "I wasn't staring, just watching from far."

Kennedy eyed the gorgeous boy standing next her, she then picked up the front of her dress and started running away from him giggling. He already knew what she wanted him to do, she wanted him to chase her. It was a game the two of them created as kids and it still stuck although Stefan was now fifteen and Kennedy was sixteen.

When she was only twelve years old, both of her parents died in a fire and when Guiseppe Salvatore heard about his old friends death he decided to take in their daughter. Kennedy Forbes, who was a childhood friend to both of the Salvatore brothers and a daughter figure to Guiseppe – their father – soon moved in with them being that Giuseppe felt responsible for the blonde. The two kids grew a strong bond ever since.

"Catch me!" She yelled out. Her giggles echoed throughout the field she was running in. Stefan was right behind her hot on her tail but that didn't stop Kennedy from running away. She was a stubborn young girl, who at the moment wasn't going to let herself get caught by her bestfriend.

Her running stopped abruptly, panting breathes being heard from behind her meaning that Stefan was getting closer to her. She smiled as her blue eyes landed on a flower bending over she picked it from the ground and held it in her hand. Turning around she was met with Stefan who had a cheeky grin on his face.

"I got you."

Her smile dropped when he said those words. She failed in not trying to get caught by the youngest Salvatore but her attention span wasn't always the best. When she saw the beautiful purple irises laying in the field she couldn't help but stop running and admire the plants.

"That isn't fair I was admiring these flowers." She voiced looking up at his eyes with her eyebrows knitted together. Stefan smiled at how childlike she was behaving, it was his favorite thing about the blonde. Her soul was old but it was fresh, she was a child at heart and he admired that about her.

Stefan's eyes fell on the flower she held in her hand and his large hand took a hold of it, bringing it up closer to face so he could get a better look at it. "It's beautiful," he breathed out, a small smile curling up on the edges of his face, "it's honestly just as beautiful as you are, Kennedy."

The girl blushed but she quickly looked away from him. Once she felt the heat from her cheeks leave she looked back at him, returning the small smile he gave her. "Thank you." She whispered with a nod to her head. They both begin to walk more into the field taking a seat when they come across a bench.

It was silent for a moment, until Kennedy's eyes lit up and her face turned over to Stefan who was staring out into the field watching all the small figures that were outside of his house.

"Stefan," she spoke and the boys gaze snapped from where he was just staring his hazel eyes now on the blondes flawless face, "do you still want to be a hero?" She asked, her english accent sounding thicker than ever.

Stefan chuckled lightly shaking his head. "Don't be silly now Kennedy, I was only seven when I told you that." He claimed. His eyes slowly peeled away from her face and it returned to where they stared before.

"Then what is it you want to be now that you're almost a man?"

"I want to be able to touch the stars." He answered honestly his eyes now looking up at the sky that was now darkening, the hologram of the stars were now dancing around in mist. Kennedy stares at him a smile on her face at how serious the boy sounded about wanting to be up in the sky with balls of fire.

"An astronaut?" She questioned and Stefan nodded.

Another thing he admired about his friend was how smart she was compared to all of the other girls, she for one actually enjoyed school. She loved the idea of learning new things constantly, but after her parents passed away she lost that passion of learning. Though, slowly Stefan helped her realize that it was important to continue on with the things she loved, and how her parents wouldn't want her to stop living now that they were gone.

He looked at her and she was now staring up at the almost night sky in awe. "And you? What are your plans if you don't get married once you turn of age?"

A sigh fell from her lips while her eyes fell to the ground, she was now frowning. Kennedy never liked the idea of females needing to be married to strangers, she would always tell Stefan how pointless it was and how unfair it is to young girls. She was lucky enough to be living with the Salvatore brothers, their father Guiseppe, was always too busy to think about sending her off to marry a stranger. She still had a year to meet someone, her being only sixteen she wasn't the proper age to be married off.

"If my dream of not being married is to be true than I would like to spend my days painting."

The boy smiled at her answer knowing it was true. He knew she had a love for art and she expressed the love she had for it through her paintings. Stefan raised both of his eyebrows hearing Kennedy mention her not wanting to be married and it being her dream.

"As much as I love the idea of you being an artist, Kennedy. May I ask why you don't want to be married?" He asked looking at the girl with curious eyes.

Kennedy smiles at his curiosity, she shook her head playing around with the pedals of the irises she had picked earlier. "Of course I want to be married, Stefan." She stated letting out a defeated chuckle.

"But when I do I want it to be with someone I love. After I finish my schooling, and hopefully meet the right man. I want to be in love with the person I choose to carry kids with, shouldn't I have a choice in who I get to fall in love with?"

He nods his head. "I understand your concern, Kennedy. I want that for you, but I don't think we get to choose who we fall in love with." He inquired as his gaze fell to the ground.

Another sigh escaped the blondes lips and she leaned her head on his shoulder, Stefan placed his hand in hers, his eyes now looking up at the stars. "Why do you think we cannot choose the people we love?" Kennedy's voice questioned, it was low but the Salvatore heard her clear as day.

"Think of it like this," he began, "we love our family but we weren't able to choose who we are related too. We still love them more than anything in the world, and I think that true love is like that as well. We don't get to choose them because we can control the way we feel."

She smiled and hummed. "You should write a book." She teased and it caused Stefan to break out into a smile.

From far away, to anyone who passed by the roads close enough to where the two teenagers sat anyone would've thought of the two to be a couple. Everyone who meets them when they are together asks if they are arranged to be married together, it'll always lead to them blushing and letting whoever made the false accusations know that they are just good friends.

Because that is exactly what they were – best friends. The two of them were there for another through whatever, their loyalty towards the other was thick and it was strong. Sometimes they would even have to ask themselves if it was anything more but they knew that it could never be, because a friendship as special as this was rare.

authors note!
at the top of each chapter will be a picture of how i'd imagine kennedy to be dressed throughout the chapters.